BEFORE THE CHANGE - Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause with The Essential Woman Formula
We've received extremely positive reports from women whose lives have truly been transformed once they've begun to use THE THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN from Barlean's. Many women experiencing early signs of menopause or who have PMS symptoms will benefit tremendously from this formula. This is because THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN was created to provide women in their twenties, thirties and forties with primary healing nutrients that are often deficient in today's diets: essential fatty acids and natural phytohormones.

"While not all fats are good—particularly those that are fried or the trans-fatty acids in margarine and vegetable shortening—not all fats are bad, either," says Ann Louise Gittleman, M.S., C.N.S. Gittleman helped to create THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN in partnership with Barlean's and is the award winning author of Beyond Pritikin, Super Nutrition for Women and Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause.

"The problem is that most Americans have been eating the wrong kinds of fats for the last several decades," adds Gittleman. "Women especially have been erroneously programmed to believe that fat is bad and must be eliminated from foods via fat-free cooking methods, the intake of no-fat foods, and the conscientious counting of fat grams. Instead of healthy fats, my clients have loaded up on sugars and carbohydrates like rice cakes, breads, pastas, potatoes, and fat-free yogurts. Sadly, by eliminating all fats (even the healthy and essential ones), from their diets, these women have gained weight, feel depressed, suffer from PMS and perimenopausal symptoms like mood swings, irritability, water retention, and breast tenderness, as well as dry skin, lack-luster hair and brittle nails."

THE BEAUTY OF FLAX

There are three key ingredients in THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN. Let's look at each more closely to see how they work together to help transform women's lives.

LIGNAN-RICH FLAX OIL. Gittleman chose lignan-rich flax oil for THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN formula, first and foremost, because of its extraordinarily high content of omega-3 fatty acids. Volumes of scientific studies on the omega- 3 fatty acids in flax have shown how important they are for women's overall health. Not only has flax oil been shown to relieve depression, fatigue, and allergies, it is a specific healing agent for topical conditions like eczema, psoriasis, acne, and dry skin.

EVENING PRIMROSE OIL. Evening primrose oil is a botanical source of the essential fatty acid gammalinolenic acid (GLA) from the omega-6 fatty acid family. "Although it is not the highest source of GLA (borage oil and black currant seed oil are actually higher) I have consistently found that evening primrose oil, a Native American traditional remedy, eases female symptoms more effectively than the higher GLA sources," says Gittleman, drawing from her clinical experience. "In study after study, women have found evening primrose oil to be outstanding for irritability, mood changes, headaches, anxiety, and PMS and perimenopausal discomforts such as fluid retention and breast tenderness."

SOY ISOFLAVONES. In addition to the healing and beautifying oils of flax and evening primrose oil, THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN contains soy isoflavones, saponins, and protease inhibitors.

Soy isoflavones are known to specifically help relieve perimenopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, anxiety, and flushing, block estrogen's cancer promoting ability, and inactivate enzymes produced by cancer cells. Soy saponins are antioxidants and help to lower cholesterol. The protease inhibitors limit the rate of cell growth, block cancer cell enzymes, and assist cells in repairing DNA damage.

ROSEMARY. The herb rosemary in THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN not only serves as an antioxidant, but has been found to alleviate migraines and combat heart disease and infections. Gittleman calls THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN both a beautifying and transformational formula for women. That is because the essential fatty acids from flax and primrose, together with soy's phytohormones, perform so many important functions—and are so frequently lacking in women's diets. If you've been focusing on cutting out fats from your diet, THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN is probably one of the most important additions you can make to your diet for beautiful skin, hair and nails, as well as for healthy support if you are suffering PMS or perimenopause symptoms.

TRUE LIFE HEALING STORY

Linda H., of Scottsdale, Arizona, was in her late forties and experiencing perimenopause, the period in women's lives when estrogen levels are decreasing, leading to the onset of menopausal symptoms. Linda recently wrote that she has had extraordinary results since using THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN. "I use it instead of hormone replacement (just two tablespoons a day) because I found that estrogen drugs made me feel irritable and anxious. Not only have my hot flashes and mood swings gone away since THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN, but my spirits are uplifted. There is something about the formula that has a calming quality. I am not as high strung— a welcome change for my close friends and family."

THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN comes in both liquid and capsules. Women should take one to two tablespoons of the liquid daily. Instead of butter or margarine on bread, try using THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN as a spread for its pleasant, nutty taste. THE ESSENTIAL WOMAN can also be spread on foods such as baked potatoes (after cooking, of course). If using the capsules, take three to five capsules three times daily with meals.

TELL ME MORE ABOUT PERIMENOPAUSE…

While premenopause is marked by hormonal fluctuations associated with early menopause-related changes, women usually maintain regular menstrual cycles. Perimenopause is the transition between the premenopausal phase and menopause and is characterized by changes in estrogen levels, irregular menstrual cycles, and increased menopausal symptoms.

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